In the wake of last night's revelation that Pittsburgh and Syracuse were in talks with the ACC, many of us began to wonder whether Villanova had a back-up plan in place. Now it appears that those two schools have submitted formal applications to join the rival conference, a move that all-but-assures their departure from the Big East.

Early this morning, VUhoops.com learned from a source close to the administraton that Villanova had also had some talks with the ACC prior to Friday's news. The source did not comment on how serious the talks had become or whether they were still ongoing.

According to the source, Boston College Athletics Director Gene DeFilippo was one of the biggest proponents of bringing Villanova into the conference. That news was perhaps most surprising, since it has been believed that DeFillipo was not on good terms with his former employer.

Despite this revelation, the interest of the ACC on the whole is necessary for an invitation to be issued.

The source also referred to Villanova as a "bystander" I'm conference realignment, noting that the 'Cats are not in the drivers seat without FBS football.

It is now up to the Villanova President and Athletic Director to keep the lines of communication open on all fronts in case an opportunity comes along.